The present invention relates to a tool and an appliance for collecting a slight amount of a humor sample to be used in a clinical trial. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tool and an appliance capable of easily and quantitatively collecting a secretory liquid humor sample such as fluid in a uterine cavity, fluid in an oviduct cavity, fluid in a vagina, a cervical mucus, and the like.
Each of the oviduct, the uterus, the uterine cervical canal, and the vagina secretes various growth factors, hormones (Epidermal Growth Factor [EGF], Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 and 2 [IGF 1 and 2], Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor [VEGF], Prolactin [PRL], and the like), and unknown regulatory factors from its epithelium and inner membrane. Owing to the secretion of the regulatory factors, the survival, function, and growth of an ovum, a spermatozoon, a fertilized ovum, an embryo, and a placenta are controlled to allow normal progress of fertilization, embryonic development, implantation, and fetal growth.
The present inventor has found that it is possible to evaluate the oviduct, the uterus, the uterine cervical canal, and the vagina in terms of their abilities of performing the fertilization, the embryonic development, the implantation, and the fetal growth by collecting a slight amount of liquid from the oviduct, the uterus, the uterine cervical canal, and the vagina with the tool and the appliance of the present invention and measuring the concentration of the growth factors, the hormones, and the regulatory factors in the collected humor(fluid). Thereby, the present inventor thinks that the tool and the appliance of the present invention contribute greatly to diagnosis and treatment of various diseases in obstetrics and gynecology such as sterility, habitual abortion, miscarriage, malfunction of the placenta, gestosis, intrauterine growth retardation of the fetus, intrauterine fetal death, abruptio placentae, and the like.
A malignant tumor such as cancer produces and secretes angiogenetic factors such as VEGF and has a host to produce a nutrient blood vessels necessary for growth and metastasis thereof. Many malignant tumors produce and secrete various proteins and hormones (Ca 125, Ca 19-9, Carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA], xcex1-fetoprotein, SLX, SCC, LDH, estradiol, and the like). Therefore, for early diagnosis of cancer in the lumen (cancer of uterus, oviduct, uterine cervical canal, vagina, cavitas nasi, paranasal sinuses, and the like) and their malignancy (metastatic ability), it is useful to collect a slight amount of the fluid (humor) from the lumen (uterus, oviduct, uterine cervical canal, vagina, cavitas nasi, paranasal sinuses, and the like) with the tool and the appliance of the present invention and to measure quantitatively tumor-producing substances contained in the fluid.
A tool for collecting a slight amount of a humor is disclosed in registered Japanese Utility Model No. 2597948.
The collection tool has a collection bar and an outer cylinder. The collection bar has the collection member that is disposed at its distal end and that is formed of a flexible liquid-absorbing material for collecting a humor sample. The outer cylinder has a smaller inner diameter than the outer diameter of the humor collection member and is shorter than the collection bar in its whole length and can accommodate the humor collection member.
However, there is a variation in the amount of a humor to be collected by the humor collection member. Further, it is difficult to take out a small amount of the humor from the humor collection member in examining it, because the humor permeates into the entirety of the big one-piece humor collection member.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tool and an appliance capable of reliably taking out a humor from a humor collection member, even though the amount of the collected humor is small.
The object of this invention is to provide a tool for collecting a slight amount of a humor that comprises a sheath, and a humor collection member slidably inserted into said sheath, and wherein said humor collection member has a humor collection part capable of projecting from a front end of said sheath, and said humor collection part can be cut and has a permeation prevention portion which prevents a humor absorbed by said humor collection part from permeating into an entirety of said humor collection part.
Further, the object of this invention is to provide a tool for collecting a slight amount of a humor that comprises, a sheath, and a humor collection member slidably inserted into said sheath, and wherein said humor collection member has a humor collection part capable of projecting from a front end of said sheath; and said humor collection part can be cut and has a plurality of separated humor collection portions.
Further, the object of this invention is to provide an appliance for collecting a slight amount of a humor that comprises a sheath, a humor collection member being slidably inserted into said sheath and having a humor collection part which is formed at a front portion thereof and can be cut and projected from a front end of said sheath, a cylindrical member accommodating a cut piece of said humor collection part which has collected a humor; and a humor collection container installed on said cylindrical member and collecting said humor discharged from said cut piece of said humor collection part by a centrifugal operation.